


Blast from the Past: Dawn of the Broken

by louisethatcher5



Series: Blast from the Past [2]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:20:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29201229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisethatcher5/pseuds/louisethatcher5
Summary: Set between Blast from the Past 1 and 2 (Part of the BftP series)What happened to Jay?Jay's recovering from stab wounds in hospital and has to deal with the loss of his brother. Can his friends bring him back or is he too broken?(Written in 2020)
Relationships: Nya/Jay Walker
Series: Blast from the Past [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2157759
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (If you couldn't tell by the title, this is a little side story for my book series Blast from the Past. I highly suggest that if you haven't read the first book, read it before reading this. There will be MEGA spoilers in here and it will literally make no sense to you if you haven't read it. You may proceed reading if you want either way of course)

"Guys, shush, he's waking up."

The lightning ninja's eyes slowly flickered open, one by one. He struggled for a few moments and only managed to open them a few centimetres but at least he was able to see just a little.

"Hey Jay," A soft male voice spoke.

Jay looked around as best he could, his body feeling rather heavy. His eyelids were trying to close again but he managed to pull through and keep them open.

"Jay, how are you doing?" Another person spoke.

His sight was a little blurry. He could just about see about 4 people stood around him. He continued to glance around the room and spotted the white sheets over him. He could see the white bed stand at the other end of his feet and his hands by his sides. Looking more at his surroundings in the room, he saw that he was in a small room. There were a few windows by the blue door. It was well lit and the walls were a light shade of blue.

_W-where am I?_

He struggled to think. He didn't know where he was and he barely remembered anything. He was confused and still in a lot of pain. He couldn't really move.

After another few moments, his vision became less blurry and was able to make out that he was in a bed. And instead of being in his usual clothes or his ninja gi, he was in a long dress-like white shirt. He moved his head slightly to look at his hands and arms. Sticking out of his arms were needles and wires that were hooked up to large machines next to his bed.

"Jay," A female voice spoke.

He moved his head again to the right of the bed. There next to him stood the most beautiful girl he had ever laid his eyes on. He then glanced around at the different directions around him to see the other three people. At the foot of the bed on the left stood a rather tall man with dark brown hair. He had pale green eyes and wore a red hoodie and black jeans. His hair was spiked up and he had a few scars above his eye. To the left of him was another rather tall man with lighter hair. He had light grey skin and bright blue eyes. He wore a white shirt.

To the left of the bed was a boy with bright blonde hair. He had bright green eyes and had a huge smile on his face. He was clearly happy to see Jay.

Before Jay got the chance to speak, the door opened quietly and quickly closed within seconds.

"I see someone's awake," The person said as they approached. The girl beside Jay moved out the way for a moment and let the person through.

It was a middle-aged man with black hair.

"Cole?" Jay questioned.

The man glanced at the other people in the room, who all exchanged awkward looks.

"No, sweetie, I'm the doctor," He replied with a small smile.

"Doctor?" Jay's eyes darted around the room quite quickly.

"You're in hospital," The doctor told him, "You suffered some pretty serious injuries."

"H-hospital?" Jay frowned.

"Don't worry," The doctor replied, "I just want to go over some safety checks quickly. Is that okay with you?"

Jay stayed silent and looked at the people surrounding his bed. They gave him various nods of encouragement. Jay glanced at the doctor and nodded a little.

"Great," He smiled, "I just want to see what you can remember first, okay?"

The doctor raised his hand to read off a clipboard he had brought with him. He looked at it for a few moments and read a question one at a time.

"What's your name?" He asked.

Jay paused for a second before responding with, "Jay Walker."

The doctor nodded, "And do you know where you are?"

"You just told me I'm in hospital," Jay replied with a frown.

"That's correct," The doctor stated before looking at the people around his bed.

"Do you remember who these people are?" He wondered. Jay said nothing.

He wandered over to where the boy with blonde hair was, "Do you know his name?"

Jay stayed silent for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"L-Lloyd Garmadon."

The doctor nodded, a smile forming on Lloyd's face.

He moved around to where the boy with light hair was, "His name?"

"Zane Julien."

He continued to the boy with dark brown hair, "And him?"

"Kai Smith."

He stepped behind the girl with short black hair and smiled, without even saying a word. Jay knew _exactly_ who she was.

"Nya Smith," Jay smiled, "The love of my life."

Nya breathed a sigh of relief, feeling her brother's touch on her shoulder. That's all she had been waiting to hear.

"Looks like his memory is all good," The doctor stated, writing stuff down on his clipboard.

Jay stayed quiet, looking at his friends. He loved seeing them.

The doctor placed the clipboard down on the table beside the bed and stood beside Jay.

"Okay, I'm gonna need you to do some things for me now, Jay. If you ever feel like its too much, just let me know, alright? Don't push yourself too much," The doctor gave him a reassuring smile.

Jay nodded a little.

The doctor took Jay's limp hand into his and looked Jay in the eye.

"Squeeze my hand as tight as you can for me," He told him.

After a few moments, the doctor felt the tight squeeze of Jay's hand. That was a good sign. The team watched patiently, hoping he was okay.

The doctor put his hands back by his sides and watched Jay for a moment.

"Can you lift your hand behind your head for me please?" He asked.

Jay took a deep breath before slowly trying to raise his hand. He managed to get it at least 30 centimetres off the bed. He then put his arm back down and stared at his feet.

"Is that good, doc?" Kai wondered, concerned for his friend.

The doctor smiled, "Since he only just came out of a coma, that is very good. It should take him a few days to recover enough for him to be able to lift his arm above his head. Most people can barely lift the arms at this stage."

The team seemed a little more at ease.

"I'll go through some more safety stuff in a few hours, hopefully he should've gotten used to his surroundings a little by then," The doctor told them.

"Is there anything we can do to help him at this point?" Lloyd asked, hopeful.

The doctor shook his head, "Just try to keep his head clear and keep him positive. The last thing he needs right now is remembering the past."

_The past?_

_The past._

_The past...._

_"Cole?" Jay's voice was shaking._

_"J-Jay... h-help... I-I-'m i-in so m-much p-p-pain..." Cole stuttered._

_"Y-you took a bullet for me?" Tears began to form in Jay's eyes, "But why?"_

_"B-because you d-don't deserve t-that... Y-you deserve b-better... I b-betrayed y-you just f-for a mission a-a-and I'm so so s-sorry... I-I couldn't b-bare to s-see you get h-h-hurt... p-please f-forgive m-me..."_

_Cole's eyes closed slowly..._

_"Cole? Cole?! Please talk to me! No, no, no! You can't... You can't be... No! COLE?! Please tell me that this is a joke!! YOU CAN'T DIE ON ME NOW, COLE!!!" Jay cried, clutching onto his brother's gi._

Jay's eyes shot open.

"Cole."

Everyone in the room directed their attention to Jay, unsure of what he had said.

"What was that, buddy?" Kai asked.

"Where is he?" Jay looked around the room quickly.

"Where is who?" Zane frowned.

"Where's Cole? Where is he? Is he okay?" He panicked.

The team glanced at each other with looks of sorrow and pain.

"Is he here too? Is he recovering?" Jay asked quickly.

"Um..." Kai spoke awkwardly.

"What? What is it? Is he okay?" Jay questioned.

"Jay, he's not here..." Nya told him softly.

"What? What do you mean?" Jay frowned, a look of innocence on his face.

The team didn't want to tell him. Not now. It would be too much for him. He only just woke up from a two week coma.

Jay slowly tried to sit up. He tried to move his legs, only feelings pain. He didn't care. The only thing he wanted right now was his brother.

"No, Jay, you need to stay here, okay? You need to recover," The doctor directed him to lie back down.

"But Cole-" Jay began, "I need to see him. I need to know if he's okay."

"Jay, he's not here," Nya told him calmly.

Jay froze, his head resting back on the pillow. His heart was racing.

_Cole's chest laid still, no flicker of life, a surefire sign that he was dead. The impact of his limp, lifeless body was synced with the wails of his younger brother, who was still holding tight onto his blood-stained ninja gi. Jay was desperate to find any signs of life still in his best friend's body but was instead met with the cold silence of his frozen heart. Jay's brother was gone, stolen from him..._

"I don't get it..." Jay's voice was shaking.

"They couldn't save him in time, Jay," Kai said quietly.

Jay's eyes slowly filled with tears. The team could _feel_ the pain that he was feeling right now. The look in his eyes... it was enough to make anyone break down.

"W-what?" Jay said between breaths, unable to control his heart rate.

His hands were shaking, tears slowly allowing themselves to make their way down Jay's pale face. He felt sick. Physically sick.

"It was lucky that they saved you in time," Zane added.

"C-Cole..." Jay looked at the floor, "N-no... he's not gone... he can't be... no..."

"Jay, I'm so sorry," Lloyd took Jay's hand into his.

The green ninja had always seen him like a big brother and to see him hurting like this completely broke him inside. He hated it.

"Cole's not gone. He's not," Jay shook his head in denial.

"Jay-" Kai began.

Tears fell down Nya's cheeks. Kai spotted and pulled her into a hug. It hurt her the most to see her boyfriend so upset. She knew that he meant the world to her. She knew that he would break over this.

"We really tried our best," The doctor spoke awkwardly.

"Well clearly you didn't because now he's gone! If you have tried harder than he'd be here! I'd still have him! I'd still have the person I love the most!" Jay cried. Lloyd held his hand tighter, tears also falling down his cheeks.

"It's gonna be okay," Lloyd told him softly.

"No, its not! I need him! I love him!" Jay shouted.

"I know-" Lloyd began.

"You don't know at all! No one knows! I can't do anything without him!" Jay cried.

Lloyd sat on the side of the bed and pulled Jay towards him. Jay cried into Lloyd's chest like his entire world had just ended. It pretty much had. Without his brother, he was _nothing_.

"I'm truly sorry..." The doctor spoke sadly and quietly.

Zane gave him a smile of reassurance and mouthed, "thank you."

The doctor nodded and left the room quietly, leaving them to grieve alone. They needed time. _Jay_ needed time.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the next day. Jay's room was completely empty, well except for himself of course. Everyone had gone home to rest, leaving Jay alone.

The worst thing he needed right now was to be left alone. He was a wreck. Not only had he just woken up from a two week long coma but he had found out that his brother was dead.

His brother was his best friend. He'd known him for so long and to lose him now.... it sucked. Jay was scared to be alone without him. Cole had died to save Jay. And all he was feeling was guilt. It should've been _him_. Cole didn't deserve to die.

The doctor had come in to check on Jay a couple hours ago. All Jay had to keep him company was his thoughts, and they weren't the nicest right now.

What could Jay do other than think? He was stuck in a stupid hospital bed. He wasn't allowed his phone. He wasn't allowed his favourite foods because they were 'bad for him' and he wasn't allowed outside. He was fed up of being stuck in the same room for hours on end. It felt like he had been in there for years.

_"Don't you think I've been through enough already?" He scowled._

_Nadakhan also crossed his arms, "You must pay for what you did."_

_"I didn't do anything to you," Jay argued._

_"You took my home and family away from me. Now I am doing the same to you." Nadakhan replied._

Everything Nadakhan had told him... he was right. He really had taken his family away from him. And now, because he wasn't strong enough to take him down in the beginning, his loved ones had to pay.

It was stressing him out. He so badly wanted to get out of that bed and take a walk or something to take his mind off things. He didn't even have anyone to talk to. He at least thought they'd be there for him.

All of a sudden, Jay fixed his eyes on the door to the room as the door handle turned. Soon enough, a familiar person stepped into the room. Jay sighed. He hoped it would've been one of his friends.

"Hey Jay, how are you doing?"

It was the doctor. _Again_.

"Drowning in my own self pity," Jay replied sarcastically.

The doctor looked at him with a sympathetic look.

"Can I just do another check on you? Is that okay?" She wondered.

"That's like the twentieth one in the past three hours. Why do you keep having to do tests?" Jay rolled his eyes.

"You woke up from a coma yesterday, Jay. We need to make sure your body is functioning properly. If we find any problems, we need to able to fix them before anything bad happens, okay?" She explained.

Jay sighed. He hated the tests. They were consistent and repetitive. He just wanted to be left alone. But he didn't at the same time.

"Can you lift your arm above your head for me?" She asked nicely.

Jay sat still, refusing to do as she asked.

"Jay, please," She sighed.

Jay looked everywhere but at her. He wasn't in the mood for this.

"Come on, you know its important," She told him.

The door suddenly opened, a black haired girl wandered in. She smiled at Jay and then at the doctor.

"Ah, Nya, could you please tell Jay that we have to run all these tests often? He's refusing," She told Nya,

Nya raised an eyebrow at Jay, "Stop being childish and do as she says."

"I don't need anymore tests. I'm fine," He rolled his eyes.

"Jay," Nya said sternly.

Jay continued to ignore them. He knew the tests were important but he was sick of them. He couldn't be left alone for at least 10 minutes.

Nya sighed and glanced at the doctor. The doctor smiled at her before taking her clipboard and leaving the room. The water ninja knew how much pain Jay was in _mentally_. She felt awful.

"Jay, are you okay?" She asked, sitting beside him on the bed.

He nodded, "I'm fine."

"I don't think you are," Her eyebrows creased.

"I don't need looking after like a little kid, Nya," Jay replied harshly.

"Can you stop being stubborn for five minutes, please?" Nya snapped, "The doctors are trying to help you. The least you could do is do these stupid tests for them."

"I just want to be left alone," Jay told her.

"You need the tests done," Nya stated.

"I know that but they don't need to do them every 5 flipping minutes," Jay raised his voice, "I just want to rest!"

Nya got up from the bed and folded her arms, "Until you stop acting like a 3-year-old, I'm not coming to see you."

Nya stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her, leaving Jay speechless. No matter how much he hated the tests, he knew he needed to do them. But now that he had no one around him to support him, it made things so much worse. He thought Nya was going to be there for him no matter what. He was wrong.

Cole wouldn't have left him alone like Nya did. If she had really cared about him, she would've seen it from his point of view instead of having a go at him. Jay was stubborn when he wanted to be, much like Nya. But surely she should've stayed with him to make sure he was okay. He clearly wasn't and she could see that. Yet she still left him. Maybe _she_ was the one being childish.

And now he was back to square one.


	3. Chapter 3

A few days had passed and no one had come to see Jay. He at least thought that they'd come and check on him but he hadn't heard from them, especially since he couldn't use his phone. You'd think they would wonder if he was okay because he had just come out of a two week long coma.

He didn't mind the peace. He actually rather liked it. I mean, that's what he wanted after all, right? To be left alone. But did he _really_ want it?

He waited for hours and hours on end for his friends to visit him. Every time someone would walk past the room or he heard someone coming, he would look out the window or stare at the door, waiting for it to open. Yet it never did unless it was the doctors.

The doctors still did their regular check ups just not as often as they did before. Ever since Jay's small ' _freakout_ ' they had backed off a little. It gave him some more space and privacy, which he appreciated and was grateful for.

They wouldn't even try to start small talk with him, let alone have a proper conversation. After all, he needed some space to wrap his head around things.

Jay had no one to talk to except for the voice in his head. The conversations would last for hours and it would usually end with Jay being in tears and feeling guilty over what happened to Cole. But nobody knew about that.

The lightning ninja used to be so extroverted and loud but now he was quite the opposite. Although who could blame him? His _brother_ had _died_.

The ninja never came to see him, even after all they had been through together. He assumed that Nya had told them not to since Jay was being 'childish'. He knew that she would mention it to them but she didn't expect her to stoop as low as to stop them from seeing him. He so badly wanted to text them or call them or even his parents to see if they were okay. But he didn't have access to his phone right now so he couldn't. And it was killing him.

Jay was currently sat in the hospital bed, of course, I mean where else would he be? It was getting late in the hospital which meant no one was really around anymore. He enjoyed the evenings as he was mostly left alone then.

It was around 10pm when he heard someone walking down the corridor and he knew exactly who it was. His doctor wore one specific pair of shoes so it wasn't hard to tell who was coming his way. Within the next few seconds, the door opened and the doctor poked her head in. Jay gave her a faint smile.

"Let me guess... check up?" He questioned, rolling his eyes a little.

The doctor smiled and wandered in, closing the door behind her.

"Last one of the day," She told him.

"Thank goodness," He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mmhmm, that means you get the rest of the night to yourself," She replied.

That sounded like heaven to Jay but right now he didn't want to listen to the voices. He just wanted some sort of distraction.

"Alright, can you lift your arms above your head for me?" She asked politely.

Jay looked down at his hands before raising his arms above his head _fully_.

"Great," She smiled, noting things down on her clipboard, "And have you been experiencing any pain anywhere or is it all good?"

"Same as earlier," He responded quietly.

"Awesome. Looks like you're getting better and better by the day," She grinned, "You'll be out of here in no time."

Jay looked back down at his hands as she finished writing. She glanced up at him briefly, a sympathetic look on her face.

"Is everything okay?" She wondered.

Jay nodded a little.

She could tell that he wasn't okay but didn't want to annoy him like before. Besides, it wasn't really her business.

"I will come and see you first thing in the morning, okay?" She smiled.

"Mmhmm," He nodded again.

She gave him one last smile before leaving the room. He sighed as he glanced down at his hands that still had needles sticking out of them. He then glanced to the side of him to see the machines he had just about gotten used to. He gritted his teeth, imagining how long he could possibly be attached to them for. It didn't make any sense to him. If he was recovering well, why did he still need to be hooked up to the machines? He didn't argue with it though. He would do anything to get him home quicker.

He had nothing to worry about, right? Everything was going to be just fine. At least that's what he thought. That's what he was telling himself. But he needed some kind of distraction to take his mind off of Cole; the only person he loved like a brother, even though he _was_ his brother. Or more like _is_ not _was_. He didn't like to think that he was gone although he knew that he was.

All of a sudden, the door to the hospital room opened and Jay rolled his eyes.

"Really? I thought you said tha-" He paused, freezing as he spotted who was at the door.

They smiled at him, which made Jay's eyes fill with tears slowly but surely.

"Hey Jay," They greeted him.

Jay opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath.

"C-Cole?"

Cole, who was stood at the door, smiled at him again and waved a little.

"How are you? I see you're awake now," He spoke softly.

"I-I don't get it... they told me that you... you... d-died," Jay stuttered, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks.

Cole shook his head and chuckled, "I'm sure they were just playing a nasty trick on you."

"I-I can't believe that you're here," Jay beamed, "I thought I lost you."

"You can't lose me that easily, buddy," Cole laughed.

Jay breathed a sigh of relief. This was everything he wanted and more. Cole was the only person that he needed right now and he finally had that. But why had the team and the doctor lied to him when Cole was clearly _there_?

"Is this a dream?" Jay's face fell a little.

"What? Why would it be a dream?" Cole made his way slowly over to his brother.

Just as Cole approached him, Jay held out his arms, ready to feel his brother's embrace. Cole sat on the corner of the bed, Jay eventually sat up and reached over so that his hands gently touched Cole's cheeks. But he never expected to actually _feel_ him.

Jay smiled, "Y-you're actually here. You're actually in front of me. You're here!"

Jay cried softly, Cole's eyes also filling with tears. Jay wrapped his arms around Cole's shoulders, pulling him into a tight embrace. He couldn't have been happier and more relieved. He finally felt like he wasn't alone. After a few moments of crying, he pulled away, expecting to see his face right in front of his own with a wide smile and those big brown eyes that he knew so well. Yet... he didn't see those big brown eyes. He didn't see that wide smile. And he didn't see his face. In fact, there was nothing but empty space.

Jay frowned, his eyes filling with more tears. He raised his shaky hands, trying to feel his brother again but he felt nothing but cold air.

"Cole?"

"Cole, where did you go?"

It took him a few minutes to eventually realise that his brother was never _actually_ there. He was confused but mostly hurt. Why was his brain doing this to him? Why was he against _himself_? What had he done to deserve this _pain_?

The blood pounded in his ears. His heart thudded in his chest. His hands shook. His feet tingled. His vision blurry. He clutched onto the bed sheets for a second, his hands wrapped so tightly that his nails dug into his palms through the thin covers. His breathing was hard and heavy, as if he had been running a marathon. He cried harder, his chest growing tighter. He felt sick and dizzy like he had never been before. His forehead and palms were sweaty. It was like the room temperature had plummeted all of a sudden, making him shiver a little.

Why was the world doing this to him?

Without even realising, the door had opened and a very blonde haired teen was stood in the doorway. As soon as he spotted the state that Jay was in and how panicked he looked, he rushed straight over.

"Jay?! Are you okay?!"

"L-L-Lloyd... I c-c-can't br-breathe-" Jay panicked between breaths, still clutching onto the bed.

"What?! Okay, okay, um.. I think you're having a panic attack or something, look just listen to me, okay?" Lloyd rushed, panicking slightly.

"C-Cole-- he was here- he's gone... he's gone Lloyd, Cole's not here, he's gone-" Jay cried, his hands shaking.

"I know, I know, just listen to me, okay? You need to breathe," Lloyd tried to tell him calmly.

"He was here and n-now he's-- Cole's gone-- I need him to be here, L-L-Lloyd--"

"Jay you need to breathe," Lloyd raised his voice a little.

"C-C-Cole, he's--"

"JAY!" Lloyd shouted, catching Jay's attention.

Lloyd grabbed Jay's hand and squeezed it tight, "Do exactly what I say, okay?"

Jay tried to take a deep breathe but couldn't, more tears streaming down his face.

"Breathe in... and out..." Lloyd began softly.

After a few moments, Jay closed his eyes and began to breathe in slowly. And out... In... Out... In... Out...

He did this for the next five minutes, Lloyd patiently breathing in and out with him, gripping his hand for support. Jay eventually calmed down, his breathing still a little heavy. Once Jay was fully back to normal, Lloyd went to get a doctor.

Now, Jay was sat cross legged on the bed, Lloyd sat beside him and the doctor stood beside them with the clipboard in their hand.

"How are you feeling now, Jay?" She wondered.

"Better, I guess..." He stated quietly.

"It's a good job I hadn't headed home just yet, isn't it?" She smiled.

Lloyd nodded, "Thank you for the help."

"Nah, it's just my job. Besides, _you_ should be the one that _I'm_ thanking. You did a good job with calming Jay down," She replied.

Lloyd smiled and glanced at his friend. Jay looked quite miserable, not making eye contact with anyone.

"I'll leave you two alone. It might be a good idea to stay until I get back in the morning," She told Lloyd.

Lloyd nodded and watched as the doctor said her goodbyes for the evening and left the room. Jay didn't say anything for a few moments before Lloyd turned to him and gave him a warm smile. Jay didn't give him one back.

"What caused the panic attack, do you know?" Lloyd wondered.

Jay shrugged, staring down at his hands.

"You mentioned Cole a lot," He pointed out awkwardly.

"I saw him..." Jay muttered.

"Saw who?" Lloyd frowned.

"Cole. He was there. I felt him. But he was gone and... I guess I panicked.. I dunno..." Jay sighed.

Lloyd stayed silent for a few minutes, not knowing what to say. He didn't want to make Jay feel worse. But at the same time, he wanted to make him feel better.

"I don't know what I can do to make you feel better but just know that I'm here if you need to talk, okay?" Lloyd gave him a friendly smile.

Jay smiled back a little, "Thanks, Lloyd."

"Nya told us what happened," He said awkwardly.

"I'm guessing she told you to stay away from me," Jay sighed.

"No," Lloyd frowned, "We just decided to give you some space. I couldn't wait much longer, y'know... knowing how hurt you were when you found out, so I came to see you. I guess I came at the right time."

Jay nodded. He thought that Nya had told them to stay away. She was better than that...

Things were only going to get harder for Jay but at least he had _someone_ there for him. Maybe that was the distraction he needed.


	4. Chapter 4

Morning was upon the city. Inside of Jay's hospital room, the master of lightning was still sat on his bed in deep thought. Lloyd was asleep on the small arm chair in the corner of the room. The sunlight slowly crept through the blinds, lighting up the room a little more. Jay found it rather relaxing.

Lloyd agreed to stay the night after what had happened the night before. He'd arrived at the hospital to find Jay in a rather horrific state. After thinking he saw his dead brother, Jay had a panic attack. The doctor had advised that someone stay with him for the night.

As time passed, Jay thought more and more about his encounter with his fake brother. Or at least that's what he called it. Not a ghost. Not a figure of his imagination. He had actually felt someone there. There was no way it couldn't have been real.

The sound of the door slowly opening caught Jay's attention. He glanced over to see his girlfriend quietly entering the room. She gave him a small smile before closing the door behind her.

"Nya?" Jay frowned, whispering.

She made her way over to the bed and sat down opposite him, "Hope you don't mind me coming to visit."

"No, not at all," He seemed rather happy to see her.

She glanced over at Lloyd and smiled, "I see he stayed the night here."

"Yeah... the doctor suggested that someone stay here tonight," Jay shrugged.

"I just saw her, she told me what happened," She responded, "You okay?"

Jay gave her a fake smile but it quickly faded. He looked down at his hands, his heart aching.

"Y-yeah... I guess," He responded dryly.

The awkward silence between them was filled with Lloyd's soft breathing in the corner. It definitely made things strange though.

"I'm sorry," She sighed, "I was an idiot."

Jay peered up at her, a frown on his face.

"I shouldn't have snapped at you. I mean... I was frustrated at you for not taking the tests but shouting at you definitely didn't make things better," Nya explained, "You were upset. You still are. I'm really sorry."

"You have no reason to be sorry," Jay replied, "You were right. I was being childish and I get the point of the tests now, I-"

"No," She smiled, "I wasn't right. I was _wrong_."

Jay fell quiet again, glancing back down at his hands.

He didn't blame her for leaving him like the way she did. Not doing the tests that were sure to help with his health at some point was pretty childish. He didn't mean to be incompetent of course but the way he had acted wasn't right. They were both in the wrong.

"Um.. the others and I were also talking about holding a funeral soon," She spoke awkwardly, "For _Cole_."

Even hearing someone else say his name made him shudder.

"We wanted to include you of course but we didn't want to upset you any more," She added.

Jay nodded a little.

"We wanted to keep it simple and we were thinking that we could make specia-" She began.

"No."

"Huh?"

"No," Jay repeated, continuing to stare at his hands, "We can't have a funeral."

"What? Why not?" Nya frowned.

"B-Because we can't," Jay replied, his voice shaking.

Nya sighed a little, "Jay... we can't just forget about him. There needs to be a funeral."

"No," He spoke up a little more, "H-He's not dead."

"Jay," Nya spoke sternly, "We need to bury the body."

Jay felt his heart shatter. Hearing those words... _bury_... _the_... _body_... No. Believing it was impossible. Even the word _dead_ made him shake but _those_ words really _truly_ broke him down. Why were they effecting him so badly? Why _those_ words? The most realistic? Burying a body. _Bury_. Even the thought of burying his own brother's _body_ was frightening enough. Picturing it was heartbreaking.

Jay's hands began to shake violently; he couldn't control it. He began to panic, his heart rate speeding up. Nya took hold of Jay's hands and held them tightly.

"We can hold off for now, okay?" She told him quietly.

Jay tried his best to calm down but was failing miserably. Nya was also beginning to panic, worried that she wouldn't be able to help.

"Jay, take deep breaths, okay?" She spoke softly, "Just try for me."

He did his best to do as she said, steadying his breathing. He took deep breaths just like he had done before, managing to calm down within a few minutes.

"Sorry... it was a poor choice of words," She sighed, "I wasn't thinking."

Jay gave her a small reassuring smile, trying to show how it wasn't entirely her fault. The team weren't used to the new _normal_ yet.

No matter how much he didn't want to believe it, he knew Cole was gone. He knew he wasn't going to come back. But he hated to admit it. If he thought about Cole being alive, he'd feel better, right? _Right_?


	5. Chapter 5

A few days had passed and Jay was still sat in the hospital room. The only thing he could think about was Cole. The team constantly came to visit him but it never really changed much. They didn't seem to distract him. His own thoughts had taken over him and he was losing more and more focus in everything else. The other ninja were concerned.

"Jay?" The doctor frowned, repeating his name.

Jay snapped out of his trance, spotting the doctor stood beside his hospital bed.

"Oh... how long have you been stood there?" Jay questioned.

"A few minutes. Are you okay?" They wondered.

Jay shrugged, "When have I ever been?"

"Okay..." The doctor replied awkwardly, "Um.. how have you been feeling today?"

"Better, I guess. Like... physically, I mean..." Jay replied.

"That's great to hear," They smiled, "I've got some good news."

"Cole's alive?" Jay hoped.

"Um... not exactly," They responded awkwardly again, "You're free to go today. You'll have to come back for check ups and stuff but nothing completely huge. You're making good progress."

Jay nodded, "Great so now I can go suffer at home, right?"

"...Sure," The doctor coughed, "Anyway, you should be free to go in a few hours. We just gotta run a few more tests which shouldn't take too long, okay?"

Jay gave the doctor a small smile. He couldn't wait to get out of that place. He'd be free of doctors checking up on him every five seconds. But instead, he'd have the team checking up on him. He wouldn't get to spend a moment alone. At least he wasn't going lonely, right?

"Nya and Kai are gonna come and pick you up at about 1, is that okay?" They wondered.

"Mhm."

"Great..." They nodded and wandered over to the machine beside him. Jay watched as they switched it off.

Later that day, Nya and Kai had come to pick up Jay from the hospital. They knew he wouldn't be the same after what had happened to both him and Cole. They knew he'd be quiet and it would most likely be awkward between them but they at least had to try and be there for him. They loved and cared for Jay.

When Jay arrived home, he was weary at first. The Bounty was quiet and cleaner than it was before. The team had cleaned it up for his return. They'd also tidied his room and put everything he needed in there. Jay needed his privacy right now and he needed their support too.

For the next few days, the team secretly discussed Cole's funeral. Jay eventually gave in and agreed to it but its not like he wanted it. He couldn't bare watch his brother's body being buried; gone forever. He didn't eat for weeks. He didn't say much either. And if he did say something, it was short and simple. He was scared of upsetting the rest of the team and they were worried about saying the wrong thing and upsetting him too. It seemed like it was just a cycle...

But in the end, Jay would get used to not having Cole around. It was weird. It didn't feel right either. But had Jay seeing Cole at the hospital really been a hallucination?

|The End|

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... if you want to continue the story, you can read 'Blast from the Past 2'


End file.
